Brisbane's Secret
by undeniably
Summary: Two young adults who have preconceptions of each other meet once again in Brisbane, Australia. The rest, as they say, is history. –Jin/Julia. *CHAPTER 3 UP!*
1. Maybe She Was Wrong

**Author's Note:** This takes place right before Tekken 4. It's pretty much my take on if Jin and Julia had crossed paths. I'm not sure exactly where I'm taking it, so if you have any ideas, let me know! I'd also like to throw some other Tekken characters into the mix too, so if you have any suggestions, you may leave those too. I would love some reviews or any other comments you may have. Other than that, enjoy the story. :D

**Summary:** Two young adults who have preconceptions of each other meet once again in Brisbane, Australia. The rest, as they say, is history. –Jin/Julia.

* * *

**Brisbane's Secret**

CHAPTER 1: Maybe She Was Wrong

* * *

She was supposed to hate him.

His dark eyes bore into hers behind his long sharp bangs, and she thought she might've felt a sort of dislike or hesitation, but she didn't.

Julia Chang was now a student at the University of Arizona in Tucson, planning to major in archaeology. She had always felt a connection with the environment and her Native American ancestry, and she wanted to stay and study in Arizona. However, she had recently discovered that her homeland was in danger of being destroyed, and began to focus her research on that area.

Professor T first introduced her to the idea of reforestation. This seemed to be the only way to restore the ecosystem where she lived as well as other parts around the world that was affected by today's changing weather and man's destructiveness.

As part of their research, Julia made an effort to take business trips around the world to compare and create new studies. More specifically, she visited desert or desert-like areas that were similar to Arizona's climate. The research had brought her to Brisbane, Australia, where she was to stay at least three months, continuing her research with peers at the University of Queensland. She rather enjoyed seeing different parts of the globe, and how the people and culture were. This being her first time in Australia, she was delighted with the bustle of the city but more importantly, the environment surrounding the city.

Julia had learned of a dojo called Kyokushin from a friend, and desired to visit it. She hadn't practiced any martial arts for a good half year, and though she might be rusty, she rather missed the adrenaline rushes and excitement it used to give her. Curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to stop by after a week of stay in Brisbane.

She hadn't expected to face Jin Kazama there.

He stood before her now, seemingly with more maturity and knowledge than the last time she saw him. At first, she thought she was seeing things, and peering through her scholarly-looking glasses, she made the initiative.

"Jin?..."

He grunted in response, and she was positive that it really was him. He looked older, maybe a little taller, with a navy-flamed hoodie pulled over his head. She was sure that his hair was probably the same under the hood, since those familiar dark bangs still covered his face. At first, she briefly wondered if he actually took time to style it that way, but feeling rather silly, she ignored it. While still not being completely open to the fact that a Mishima could actually have feelings, she neither smiled nor frowned, instead raising her eyebrows.

"Well, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, finally breaking eye contact as he looked to the floor, obviously uncomfortable. "Practicing," he answered simply.

She hadn't expected much of an answer anyway, and she didn't want to push the issue. "At a dojo? I thought you practice Mishima-style." It was an art that was carried on only through their bloodline, if it could even be called an art. She doubted that something called a Mishima-style would hardly be fair. But it was still odd that he would be here, out of all places.

"I'm unlearning." His eyes met hers again, and she had to look away. They were piercing into her too much, as if he was looking somewhere beyond her eyes, somewhere deeper.

She felt a slight shudder, but mentally slapped herself. It was probably some weird Mishima thing, like staring down your opponent or something. She decided not to make anything of it, instead wondering about his answer. He was unlearning it? That in itself was odd.

"Julia!"

She turned to see her friend Jennifer Liu from the University of Queensland walking up toward her with a little wave and a smile on her face. Julia was staying in her dorm for the time being, and Jennifer was involved in the reforestation research. The research group had quickly bonded as a team of about 15 people dedicated to finding a solution for the ecosystem problem. "What are you doing here?"

Jin watched to see Julia give her a dazzling smile, one she had held back from him, and thought about leaving, but the Asian girl had grabbed his arm before he could.

"Oh, who's this, Julia?" Jennifer ignored her friend's question and pulled off her sunglasses. "Your friend?" She waggled her eyebrows at Julia, who elbowed the girl.

"Um, _no_." Julia had the urge to just leave the dojo and hope Jin would forget all about their chance meeting. "This is Jin Kazama. He… We were in a tournament together a couple years ago."

"Oh, _really? _Danny told me you'd be here. I didn't know you did martial arts, Jules." Jennifer seemed very interested, turning her eyes to Jin." It's nice to meet you. I'm Jennifer, by the way. You can call me Jenn, if you like." She stuck out her hand and Jin shook it warily. "Julia and I were planning to go clubbing tonight. You should come!"

Julia's eyes widened as Jennifer bubbled all over Jin, and she wanted to grab her friend and run out of the dojo like no tomorrow, but instead she smiled politely, knowing without a doubt that he would say no, and they could be on their way like nothing happened.

But what he did next surprised Julia more than anything.

"I guess," he shrugged. "Where are you going?"

Jennifer was obviously happy with Jin's answer. "The Mustang Bar. Wanna meet us there around 8?"

"Sure. I have to get back to training, but I'll… see you later." He turned to leave, as Julia gaped after him and Jenn gave a little squeal.

As they left the dojo, Julia couldn't decide which was more surprising: that Jin Kazama had just agreed to go clubbing, or that he actually went out to nightclubs. She supposed that she didn't know much about him, though, other than basic assumptions. He had seemed broody, unfriendly, and distracted. But the way she saw him talk with Jennifer… he seemed like a regular guy, almost.

"Your friend is really hot," Jenn gushed as they walked down the sidewalk. "Do you know him very well?"

"I guess I don't," Julia said in almost disbelief. But part of her was glad that he agreed to join them.

Maybe she was wrong about Mishimas after all.


	2. But It Feels Good

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took a while to get this next chapter up! TT I'm very grateful for all the reviews that I've gotten so far. It is definitely encouraging! I cannot promise I'll be quick with the chapters, but I will definitely try my best. If you have any suggestions plot-wise, feel free to let me know! Like I said before, I don't really have a set place the story is going, but I'll welcome anything plausible. :D Thanks!

**Summary:** Two young adults who have preconceptions of each other meet once again in Brisbane, Australia. The rest, as they say, is history. –Jin/Julia.

* * *

**Brisbane's Secret**

CHAPTER 2: But It Feels Good

* * *

He spotted her right away amidst the numerous bodies at The Mustang Bar. Her normally-braided hair was let down across her shoulders, and he noted that it was much shorter than the last time he saw her at the tournament. The glasses from earlier were gone, and her plain clothes somehow made her stick out from the crowd. A plain denim skirt and brown top along with a colorful beaded necklace finished her look with a pair of high brown boots.

Jin watched her look around nervously, surrounded by a small group who he assumed were her friends. He saw Jennifer holding onto her arm with a big smile and a very short skirt – apparently she frequented this place often since she stopped and said hi to a bunch of people already.

He had arrived a couple minutes ago, with a pair of gray plaid pants and a white dress shirt. He toyed with his left earring for a moment before deciding to approach them, trying to look nonchalant.

Jennifer noticed him first. "You made it! Wanna get a couple drinks before we hit the dance floor?"

Truthfully he wasn't much of a dancer, but he could definitely do a few rounds of drinks. Glancing at Julia before turning to Jenn, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Sounds great. Can I get something for you and Julia?"

Julia looked to him as she heard the sound of her name. She couldn't recall another time that he had actually said it. Shaking herself out of her momentary lapse, she nodded quickly. "A wine cooler is fine." Truthfully she wasn't much of a drinker, but she could definitely do a few rounds of dancing – if in the mood. And she wasn't particularly in the mood to dance in front of Jin Kazama, but she'd worry about that later.

"I've been trying to get her into the harder stuff, but she just won't," laughed Jenn as she suddenly took a spot next to Jin. "Get me a vodka, love." Julia noted that her friend was standing awfully close to him.

Jin didn't notice. "I'll be right back," he said, disappearing into the crowd of people.

"Jules," Jenn said sternly, "listen. I took you here so you could get your nose out of the books and research and have a little fun, okay? I know what we're doing at U of Q is really important, but I think it's also really important to take a time out and live a little." She winked. "For starters, you need a boy, honey."

The one thing about Jenn was that she liked to butt into other people's business, and Julia was finding that out quite fast. "If you're thinking about setting me up," Julia rolled her eyes, "forget it." And wasn't Jennifer the one rubbing up against Jin anyway?

"Aw, come on. You two would be so cute together," she pressed. "Not to mention you know each other already! If anything, just let loose and have fun. Sometimes I think you're too uptight for your own good. And if you won't take him, maybe I will."

Jin came back with their drinks, and Julia was grateful for his timing. "Here you go." He handed one to each of them, taking a sip of his own vodka.

"Thanks," Jenn batted her eyelashes at him and gave Julia a look. "Let's go sit down for a bit!" She dragged the other two to a booth where she shoved Julia in one side and took Jin with her to sit across from Julia, crossing her legs and making sure her leg brushed his slightly. "So, Jin. What are you doing here in Brisbane?"

Jin took a long hard sip of his drink, knowing that he was probably in for a night if he spent it with this girl. He knew girls like her. She was nice for the most part, but there was only one thing they were usually after. Tonight he wasn't in the mood to give it. Brisbane had changed him in different ways. The shy quiet Jin that might've turned down an invitation for a night on the town had disappeared over the last two years. He was rebuilding a life that had been controlled by the Mishima lifestyle, and he had probably experienced more in the past two years than Julia even cared to know about.

He ignored all the signals Jenn was giving him, instead scooting a bit away from her. For some reason he felt a little embarrassed in front of Julia, but little did he know that Julia's own cheeks were burning from embarrassment of her friend.

"I'm learning a new style of martial arts at the dojo. They specialize in karate, which is what I want to focus on at the moment," he shrugged.

"Wow, so you can just learn different styles like that? It's amazing that you came here to Brisbane. It's a great place to live, don't you think?" She seemed a bit distracted by a blonde guy that had walked past, and suddenly thought of something. "Oh, Julia," Jenn noticed that her friend had finished her wine cooler, "do you want my vodka? Finish the rest, okay? I'll be right back." She slid out of the booth and left Jin and Julia both very uncomfortable and awkward.

Julia tried to think of something to say as she sipped the vodka, trying not to make a face as she felt it burn down her throat.

"That bad, huh?" Jin's crooked smile returned, and Julia wasn't sure what to make of it. "You get used to it."

"I didn't know you… well, that is to say, I didn't know that you… um." She flustered, obviously not very good at finding the right words.

Jin had quickly finished his drink, and hailed down the waitress for another. "That I drink? Or that I actually go out?" He almost laughed. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

Julia couldn't believe that this man that she thought was once so shy was being more forward than she was. "Yeah, I don't know." She looked everywhere but at him. "Jenn kind of made me, if you couldn't tell. But I did want to relax a bit," she said a little defensively, drinking her vodka with a little more confidence.

"I can tell," he eyed her as she tipped her glass, tipping his own new drink back to feel it burn his throat. "Does it taste good?"

She shook her head with a little laugh. "It tastes horrible." She could feel her head spinning slightly. "But it feels good."

"I suppose that's why people drink it." Jin took a swig of his drink as if to compete with her, his eyes fixated on hers.

Taking the silent challenge, Julia eyed him back, almost beginning to chug the drink, holding back the urge to throw it all back up. It burned, and it felt gross, but there was something thrilling about it and she kept eye contact with him as they went through another silent round. And another. And maybe another. She wasn't sure, but maybe there was another one too.

Jenn came back to find her friend laughing loudly, in an out of character way, with Jin grinning slyly at her. Empty glasses were shoved to the side and Jennifer yelped as Julia fell over in her seat. Helping her up and brushing some hair out of Julia's face with a hand, she looked horrified over at Jin. "What happened?" She wasn't used to seeing her like this.

Jin just shrugged with a laugh. "I think we drinked… too much," he stuttered, trying to stand up and dusting off his pants.

"I have to get back to my friend," Jenn said, looking over at the nearby blonde from earlier. "Will you watch her and make sure she's okay?"

"Well…" He was nodding his head, but his mind was still trying to process what she actually said. Who was he watching again?

Julia finally made it up to hook her arms around Jin's neck, clearly unaware of what she was doing. "I wanna… dance. Let's dance. Wanna… dance." She took his hand and brought him into the swarm of warm bodies that were close together. With her hands above her head, she began to move and stumble, and Jin's arms found their way around her waist.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be this close to someone physically. Sure, he'd had previous girls, but they were all after something. They had viewed him as an enigma, someone who needed saving from himself. He supposed that was the rush and chase after going after a guy who seemed disinterested, so he played it that way. The girls would eventually get tired, though, and he had figured it to be all a game: a game that occasionally he liked to play himself.

"Why did you stop?"

Jin looked to see Julia frowning slightly at him, her body pressed next to his probably closer than she would've liked if she wasn't drunk, and his eyes suddenly grew soft. "We have to get you home." He knew she wasn't really like this, didn't fit into this crowd very well.

Her hand flew up to his cheek as the other lay on his chest. "Jin, it's barely 10. I'm not going home." Suddenly she sounded very serious, and he started to doubt whether she was really that drunk after all. 

"What? Am I that bad of a dancer?" At first she looked hurt, but then she clutched the front of his shirt, pulling his face dangerously close to hers. "Wanna know a secret?"

Jin found himself hypnotized as he stared into her eyes, noting that they were hazel with a hint of green around the middle. "What?" he rasped, almost afraid to know what it was.

Then she giggled, her lips moving past his cheek to brush against his ear as the loud music pulsed through their bodies. "I've kissed a boy before."

"… really." He didn't know what to say, and the sensation that her lips had played on his ear, while ever so slight, was having a sort of effect on him. He tried to shrug it off.

"Really." Julia pulled back to raise an eyebrow at him. "So don't worry. You're not my first." She pulled him down again by the collar, and raised herself up for her lips to meet his, before he could even act or say another word.

Jin wasn't all too sure why he didn't pull away. Maybe it was the alcohol getting to him, maybe it was the way her leg had slipped in between his, or maybe it was even because they hardly knew each other. The kiss was rough, messy, and uncoordinated as their teeth clashed and their noses bumped, but there was showing no signs of stopping on either part. It was desperate, seeking need and acceptance.

In that moment, both of them felt wanted.


	3. Text Messages

**Author's Note:** It's been a while, huh? I really apologize for that. I'm just not really sure where to take this... but I think it's heading in a direction I like. If you have any suggestions, they are always welcome! Also, I realized this chapter is a bit short, so I'm sorry about that too. I hope everyone's had a great holiday season and Happy New Year! Thank you for the reviews; I appreciate them. :)

**Summary:** Two young adults who have preconceptions of each other meet once again in Brisbane, Australia. The rest, as they say, is history. –Jin/Julia.

* * *

**Brisbane's Secret**

CHAPTER 3: Text Messages

* * *

Julia woke up in her own bed and alone. Her head felt like a million jackhammers were pounding on it, and she winced, her hands on top of her head as she lay back down. _This_ is why she refrained from drinking hard alcohol. She knew she had had a couple drinks with Jin last night, but…

She mentally groaned. Had she kissed him? She thought she kissed him. She couldn't remember. Was it pleasant? Did she like it? Did it even happen? The thoughts were hurting her head even further, so she pulled the blanket over her head, trying not to think about it.

"Morning, sunshine!"

She was relieved to hear that it was a female voice, and peeked from under the covers to see Jennifer coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. She came and sat on her bed, pulling back the covers to reveal Julia's drowsy face.

"So, how was last night? I saw you and your friend hit it off pretty well," she laughed as she got up and started to towel-dry her hair.

"Don't remind me," Julia said almost bitterly as she sat up, trying to ignore her headache. "I guess I kissed him after all…"

"Kissed him? Honey, you two should've just gotten a room." Jenn was obviously amused as she took her brush and started running it through her damp hair. "Did you have a fun time, at least?"

"I just…" She couldn't think of what to say, so she stared at her hands in her lap. "I can't believe I did that."

"Neither can I," her friend admitted with another laugh. "Though I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you, Jules."

She fell back into her pillow. "Ugh. Now he's gonna think that I'm some… freak who likes to feel up the first guy she sees."

"So you admit you felt him up!"

Julia groaned. "That is _not_ what I meant. I was exaggerating." But Jenn couldn't hear her as she had already turned on the hairdryer.

"Drink plenty of water," Jenn advised over the loudness of the hairdryer. "I'm gonna stop by the store and get you some aspirin because it looks like you're gonna need it." She turned off the hairdryer long enough to give Julia a smile through the mirror. "Look at it this way: at least I don't have to go and buy you some birth control, right?"

Julia threw a pillow at her, making sure not to miss.

* * *

Jin hit the punching bag. Hard.

Every blow was harder than the last, his emotions getting the best of him as he swung his arm with another hard punch to the bag, and a swift kick that could leave a regular person paralyzed for life.

Their kiss hadn't been anything memorable – he'd had better, to be honest – yet he couldn't get it out of his mind. Maybe because it was just so impulsive that he didn't couldn't forget about it. It had taken him by surprise too much to erase it. He wiped his brow, taking his towel and wiping his face as he took his cell phone and looked at it. She'd put in her phone number for him after their "meeting," and had asked him to call her. As she and Jenn were leaving that night, he remembered the words she reminded him with: _"Don't forget."_

Up until this point, he assumed she had probably forgotten all about it by now. Jin sat down on the bench, still staring at his open phone; more precisely, her number. He had never been one to call, not even when they asked him to. But what if she was waiting for him to? Honestly, he hoped she was just feeling okay, because with the amount of alcohol she had consumed, he was surprised she hadn't blacked out. She was one of the best fighters in their time, though, so maybe that accounted for something.

He opened up a new text message instead. _"Hey, it's Jin."_

Only a few minutes later, he received a response. _"Hey, you."_

That made him smile a little, and even feel at ease somewhat. _"How's your head?"_

"_It's fine… thanks for asking."_

"_You've got to be lying."_

"_Okay, so it hurts. A little."_

"_What, you can't handle it?"_ The indirect text messages were something he was comfortable with. Human interaction face-to-face was what he had the most trouble with.

"_I can handle lots of things myself, thank you very much."_

"_I bet you can."_ Now he was just straight out flirting. Should it feel awkward with her? After a night of drunken laughs at The Mustang Bar, perhaps the awkwardness had lessened significantly. Not to mention the kiss.

Her message was a little delayed. _"What's that supposed to mean?"_ As if she was a little hesitant, he sensed.

"… _nothing."_ Suddenly he felt like crawling into his shell again and wishing he had never texted her in the first place. What was he thinking, anyway?

"_Meet me at the coffee shop on Martin Blvd at 4pm."_

Jin stared blankly at the words, as if still trying to decipher the meaning. Was she serious? And was he seriously going to go? He supposed he couldn't _not_ go and ignore her. She knew his number. It would be embarrassing to decline, after he had taken the initiative to contact her first. Plus, maybe he did want to see her again. But wouldn't it be a little awkward? Well, considering the both of them could hardly remember much of what happened anyway…

He pulled a wife beater on, stuffing his towel in his duffel bag as he lifted it over his shoulder, his hand still holding onto his cell phone as he texted quickly and closed it shut.

"_Sounds great."_


End file.
